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🍞 Summer sandwich bread (and waffles!)
Published about 1 month ago • 3 min read
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Summer sandwich bread (and waffles!)
Oh gosh, it's hot out there, you guys.
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But where there's heat, there's tomatoes. Where there are tomatoes, there are amazing BLTs. Provided you have the right bread, of course.
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But wait, don't like tomatoes? (Say what?) Chances are you still like toast, or a sandwich, or bread for French toast.
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My fav sourdough sandwich bread—pain de mie—has you covered (sandwiched?) on all fronts.
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The old saying is if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Well, I say, if you can't stand the heat, finish the pain de mie and then get out of the kitchen.
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On to the recipes, baking help, and some links I've enjoyed this week!
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In this week's newsletter:
Recipes: Pain de mie, high-fiber sandwich bread, sourdough waffles
Baking Help: Why is my loaf gummy inside?
Sourdough Links: A look at how to make pane Pugliese (southern Italian), 12 ways to use those baguettes
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🍞 Pain de mie sandwich bread
My sourdough friselle under a pile of tomatoes.
I've talked a lot about my pain de mie (it's even in my ​cookbook​) because it is still my favorite sandwich bread—and I bake a lot of sandwich bread!
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I've played with many things trying to improve this one, and I still come back to it repeatedly, especially when I score a block of high-quality French butter.
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The result punches way above the work needed to make it.
If you're anything like me, you're always trying to get your kids to eat a healthier version of whatever they want.
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Yes, they love the pain de mie above, and it does make ridiculously good sandwiches, but this high-fiber pan loaf tastes incredible, AND it's packed with loads of nutrition.
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The funny thing is, in the process of making this for my kids, I ended up falling in love with this bread ❤️
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Hi Maurizio. The interior of my loaves is super gummy. Do you have any idea what's going on? Thanks!
If your dough's hydration is too high, it can lead to an overly wet or gummy interior. If the dough feels "soupy" or very "slack," try reducing the water percentage by 5% and see if that helps.
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Bake your loaves completely. The interior should register around 204-206°F (95-96°C) or higher.
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If your loaf is underproofed, then this will typically lead to a gummy or "wet" textured interior. Ensure your starter and levain are vigorous and strong when using them. This is very important! From there, make sure to bulk ferment your dough fully (use the images you see in my posts to guide you on what the dough should look/feel like). You want the dough to be alive and aerated before you divide and shape. From there, a complete proof is also very important.
🛟 2 Ways I Can Help You Today
I recently expanded upon my guide to shaping bread dough. Now it includes just about every bread shape I make here in my kitchen—including the pan loaves listed earlier! ​
Pugliese Bread: How to Make Bread the Altamura Way. (YouTube) A long look at bread made in the Altamura region of Italy, where The Perfect Loaf is headed in a few short months! So excited to be there again this year. (LINK)​
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12 Baguette Recipes We'd Bring to the Olympic Village. (Food52) A good roundup putting those homemade baguettes to good use! (LINK)​
Want to make bakery-quality sourdough bread from home? Subscribe for the best sourdough guides and recipes to take your bread from ordinary to incredible.
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